"Arrested Development" Documentary Fundraises on Kickstarter

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An "Arrested Development" documentary is raising money on Kickstarter.

Updated at 1:21 PM CDT on Friday, Mar 22, 2013

The filmmakers behind an "Arrested Development" documentary have almost reached their fundraising goal four days into a campaign on Kickstarter.

Jeff Smith and Neil Lieberman took a page from the "Veronica Mars" playbook by using the crowd-sourced fundraising site Kickstarter.com to raise money for the film.

They were less than $500 away from their $20,000 goal, as of Friday afternoon. All they need now are the rights to the Fox network's photos.

"These photos are extremely relevant to the story, and we can’t move forward with the release of the documentary until our fees are paid to the network," they wrote on their Kickstarter profile.

The fundraising effort comes a week after Rob Thomas, the creator of another cult hit "Veronica Mars" raised his goal of $2 million in less than 11 hours to fund a movie remake of the television show.

The news sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry as rumors that other commercially unsuccessful, but critically acclaimed shows could use Kickstarter to return to the limelight.

As for Smith and Lieberman, not only are they promising a documentary brimming with interviews with the cast, the show's creators and "Arrested Development" superfans, they're also giving out rewards to donors. Those who pledge $25 or more get a digital download of the documentary. A $5,353 donation will get come with an exclusive screening.

"Arrested Development," a mockumentary-style show about a formerly wealthy, but dysfunctional family, was canceled in 2006 after three seasons due to low ratings. The critically-acclaimed comedy received six Emmy awards.

The show is returning in May for its fourth season on Netflix and there have been rumors of a film adaptation that picks up where the series leaves off.